Author D.G. Laderoute brings the vicious, no-quarters battles of the turbulent ‘Warring States’ period of Japanese history to the Pike & Shotte tabletop with the all-new Wars of the Samurai supplement. Here he discusses presenting the history, Japanese armies in the context of Pike & Shotte, and what players can look forward to in terms of army lists, special rules, and refighting the battles of 16th century Japan…
I was intrigued when, back in 2021, Warlord put out a call for writers to pitch supplements for their various games, including Pike and Shotte. Having an extensive military background and an abiding interest in history, I put on my historical thinking cap and tried to come up with something that would pique Warlord’s interest. After some back and forth, we finally settled on the Sengoku Jidai, the “Warring States” period of Japanese history. I had actually written extensively for another game line, a fantasy take on feudal Japan, so I’d already spent some time immersed in the history. So, pitch accepted, I was off, engaged in a new writing adventure!
Wars of the Samurai covers a fascinating period in Japanese history—the bitter, bloody struggle to unite a Japan that had, by the early 16th century, collapsed into a fractured, tortured mosaic of warring states. Led by daimyō—ambitious and ruthless warlords determined to expand their own wealth, influence and power—these states fought not only one another, but other groups vying for control, such as the fervently religious Ikko-ikki protest movement and the insidious, enigmatic shinobi (what today might be called ninja) of the rugged Iga region. I found myself facing a monumental task, that of trying to turn the schemes, campaigns and battles of these myriad warlords and factions into something both readable and useful to gamers, and in a limited word-count at that!
I finally settled on telling the story of the Sengoku Jidai through the lens of the “Three Great Unifiers” of Japan—the ruthless and mercurial Oda Nobunaga, the cunning and silver-tongued Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the patient and forward-looking Tokugawa Ieyasu. Each of these three men successively united more and more of Japan under their control, culminating with Ieyasu’s victory at the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Sekigahara effectively ended the Sengoku Jidai, unifying Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate and setting the course of Japanese history for the next two-and-a-half centuries, until the Meiji Restoration in the 1860s. Researching this was quite the endeavour—most of the historical accounts come from after the period, so I spent a great deal of time combing through them, finding both commonalities and the points on which they disagreed. The result is, I think, a solid historical grounding for wargaming the “Wars of the Samurai”.
What makes the Sengoku Jidai such an attractive period for Pike and Shotte is this setting—a mosaic of warring states struggling to survive, thrive and, ultimately, dominate feudal Japan. The armies of the daimyō, armoured samurai on foot and horse, and ashigaru peasant levies offer fantastic modelling opportunities, while allowing players to explore a very different war-fighting environment from those more commonly gamed in a European setting. Nor are you limited only to samurai—you can field Ikko-ikki armies of sohei warrior-monks, and their zealous lay adherents (some of whom were themselves samurai!), or even try out the insidious, guerrilla-style ninjutsu tactics of the shinobi! And all of this is set against a backdrop of profound change. Gunpowder technology and new tactics were reshaping warfare in Japan. The niceties of bushidō, the various warriors’ codes that have long dominated Japanese conflict were on the wane, with the mechanistic realities of industrialized warfare beginning to make their mark.
Of course, in some ways, the overall course of warfighting in the Sengoku Jidai resembles its European counterpart—blocks of troops armed with spears, pikes and missile weapons, including bows and matchlock firearms, manoeuvring about and crashing into one another. Much of the “flavour” for the place and time will come from the special rules and the scenarios. Accordingly, I’ve included special rules for things like shinobi, whose spying and espionage you can unleash on your opponent before the game begins, for so-called “woodpecker” forces that can disrupt your opponent on the battlefield, and for the particular system of command and control your daimyō can exercise from his jinmaku headquarters. I also included special rules for the most prominent clans of the period, to reflect the particular approach of each to warfighting in the period. For instance, rules for the Oda Clan reflect Nobunaga’s early and enthusiastic adoption of gunpowder weapons and the long pikes known as nagae yari, while those of the Takeda Clan showcase their powerful cavalry.
I likewise included scenarios covering eleven of the most pivotal battles of the Sengoku Jidai, from Oda Nobunaga’s remarkable victory over the rival Imagawa Clan at Okehazama, to Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s vengeful defeat of Nobunaga’s would-be usurper, Akechi Mitsuhide, at Yamazaki, and culminating in the great battle of Sekigahara that cemented Tokugawa Ieyasu as the final “Great Unifier” of Japan. Each battle includes a detailed historical summary, orders of battle for the opposing forces and special rules that capture the specific character and course of that battle. But we know that players want to write their own stories, so I’ve also included detailed rules to help you create your own battles in the setting and context of 16th century Japan.
And with that, I’m back to my painting table, readying another batch of samurai warriors for the table!
~D.G. Laderoute
Wars of the Samurai
For ten long years the Ōnin War raged, leaving a fractured Japan in its wake. Ambitious warlords have arisen, vying for power and control.
This is the Sengoku Jidai, the time of ‘Warring States’. Daimyō lead armies in vicious, no-quarters battle. Charismatic agitators inflame disaffected peasants with religious zeal. Insidious shinobi wage campaigns of espionage and insurrection. Treachery and bloodshed abounds.
But warfare is changing. New tactics and technologies are rewriting the fundamentals. Can you harness these new realities on the tabletop, and emerge triumphant like ‘The Three Great Unifiers of Japan’? Field resplendent armies of samurai, bear aloft the religious banners of the warrior-monks of the Ikkō-ikki, or slink through the shadows and strike without warning with your mysterious shinobi, and take up the challenge.
Those who can adapt will rise to dominance. Will you be one of them?
Warlord Games Webstore Exclusive: Order your copy from the Warlord games webstore and you’ll also receive a free special edition figure – Yasuke, the Black Samurai! While much of his life is either poorly documented or shrouded in mystery, he supposedly came to the attention of the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga whilst in the service of Portuguese Jesuits. Nobunaga took the man into his service, naming him Yasuke, and apparently conferring upon him the rank of samurai. Yasuke would serve as Nobunaga’s loyal retainer for some years, allegedly even being present at Nobunaga’s death, whereafter he was returned to the Jesuits.
The Seven Spears of Shizugatake & Daimyos
The new book is accompanied by all-new miniatures, and our sculptor Marco Sano has really knocked it out of the park with these ones. The Seven Spears of Shizugatake collects seven vassals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who won everlasting fame and immensely improved their social station for their actions at the 1583 Battle of Shizugatake. At the pivotal moment in the engagement, they led a bold attack which turned the tide of the battle and won victory for Hideyoshi. All would be richly rewarded for their work as Hideyoshi continued his meteoric rise, with many becoming daimyo in their own right. Clad in the height of Samurai fashion and wielding a variety of weapons, these dynamically posed figures are an absolute dream for any painter wanting to show off their skills.
The daimyo were powerful feudal lords who controlled huge swathes of territory across medieval Japan. Although nominally subordinate to the Shogun and Emperor, in reality many daimyo were warlords and landowners intent on improving their own lot by any means necessary. These men would frequently clash, wielding huge armies of samurai and ashigaru against each other and devastating the land in great battles and campaigns. Some would rise to greatness, while others would be remembered in infamy. No matter the motivation, if there was a battle during the Sengoku period, there was almost certainly at least one daimyo at the heart of it – often literally, leading their troops on the field! Our new Daimyos pack depicts each of the three ‘Great Unifiers’ of Japan, but could just as easily be used to represent any Japanese commander on the field of battle.
Explore our complete Samurai range for even more fantastic figures, from shinobi, to sohei warrior monks, and even onna-bugeisha!
